


la maschera più bella

by daemon



Category: B: The Beginning (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, First Dates, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 16:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16067243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daemon/pseuds/daemon
Summary: TheCarnevale di Cremonais almost as old as the myth of the Black Winged King, and for the first time in eight years, Keith decides (read:is told) to go.(Three years after the events atop Mt. Cremona, Keith and Koku make an attempt at normalcy.)





	la maschera più bella

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skinandbones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skinandbones/gifts).



> This is just pure silliness.

Koku was amazed by the beauty of it all, the colorful masks and costumes, the sense of carefree frivolity among the locals of the capital island brought out a taste of wonder in him that he didn't expect. Ahead of him, Lily was dragging Yuna to every booth and game she could find, the younger woman's white gown flowing around her legs like water, and the 'faux' white wings folded against her back fluttering minutely in her excitement.

Beside him, Keith was silent, though his eyes never once left the women, seemingly unable to let go of the same paranoid feeling. He was dressed in an elaborate costume himself, tailored black suite with gray pinstripe, with silver details and a shoulder cape that flowed out down his right side. He wore a top hat with a deep blue sapphire jewel laid in a silver brooch, with pitch black feathers protruding from it. He looked handsome, even with the glittering black mask covering the top half of his face, and with his beard trimmed, he was a far cry from the scruffy detective everyone knew.

Without meaning to, Koku reached for his gloved hand, smiling enough that he knew Keith could see it in his eyes through his own mask. Keith threaded his fingers with Koku's, and tugged him discreetly closer, allowing Koku to press against him, to unfold one of his own black wings and tuck it under the cape against Keith's back.

He felt a shudder run through Keith over the action, and smiled up at him when the older man peeked down at him.

"Are you having fun?" Keith muttered, tipping his hat up as he bent his head closer to Koku's.

Koku let his eyes stray back to their friends, to Mario and Bran trailing ahead of them, drinks and goodies in hand, to Lily and Yuna dancing in their costumes looking more like princesses than ever, to Boris and Eric playing games at one of the booths. Eventually, he brought his gaze back to Keith, and saw the man trying hard not to smile.

He grinned, pushing his mask up enough to expose his mouth as he reached for the lapel of Keith's coat to tug him down. Keith met him halfway, reluctant as he often was to instigate any public display of affections, it warmed Koku a little to know that he tried anyway.

"Oi, oi! Let's go see the dancing in the square!" Lily waved them over, cheeks flushed from the wine in her hand and the crush of bodies around them, "They just started!"

Koku pulled away with a soft laugh, tugging his mask down again as Keith straightened up with a grumble under his breath about noisy people; "Come, go dance with me?"

Keith looked away, fixing his half-mask on his face, "I can't dance."

"Can't or won't?" Koku needled, smirking at him as he grabbed Keith's hand to pull him along.

"Definitely can't, brat."

Koku unfurled his wings as he dragged Keith close, the pair of them folded into a cocoon of black feathers, "I think it's a 'won't'. Eric said you were quite the dancer years ago, it was the only thing you were good at besides mathematics."

He could see Keith's face turning cherry-red beneath his mask, causing Koku to laugh and fold his wings back. They'd hardly been noticed for their little moment of privacy, many just moving past them and mistaking his wings as part of the costumes—a ploy that had worked out perfectly so not only would Koku be able to stretch his wings for a night, but that he could build a costume around them for the carnevale. So far, it had proven foolproof.

Keith pulled his hand free and cross his arms, eyeing Koku for a minute before holding up his index finger, "We can try one dance. _One_. If you want more, ask Yuna or Lily. I can't dance."

Koku's eyes lit up and he knew, Keith _knew_ he was in deep shit again.

.

Between the booth games, the food, the snacking, too much wine shared with Boris, Marco, and Bran, and the near-endless dancing, Keith had never felt more overwhelmed in his life.

He'd managed to extricate himself from the crowd long enough to take a breather, and find food cart on the outskirts of the square to get something to drink and cool his body down. _Champagne_ , not his first choice, but good enough. He propped himself against a nearby pillar and sipped away, eyes roaming the tangle and mesh of bodies lost to the dance. In the middle of the square, a stage had been erected, decorated ornately to fit the theme and shining with silver and gold paint in the thousands of string lights above.

Though packed with partygoers, Keith could still see Yuna's bright dress weaving in and out of dancers, with Lily in her own deep burgundy and golden-trimmed gown at her side; the two women were grinning and laughing, their cheeks flushed beneath the makeup and their masks pushed atop their heads or off to the side. Bran had dressed in a costume resembling a court jester, though his outfit was in shades of deep navy and dove gray, trimmed in silver thread that glinted in the light with a simple half-mask painted like a starry sky. His stockings were patterned in alternating blue and gray diamonds, sprinkled with silver glitter and his gray slippers were tipped in silver bells that chimed as he walked.

Bran was trying to lead Mario and Boris into a dance, but had only managed to drag Mario into it. His fellow RIS officer was dressed as a much more whimsical Royal Guard, in shades of lilac and gray as a lighter contrast to Bran's costumer. His mask was painted like a dawn sky, with a sun surrounding one eye and a crescent moon through the other. Boris chose simply to dress like a monk, though instead of drab browns, he chose dark red robes with gold trim. He wondered if the old man and Lily had coordinated, but he wouldn't have been surprised had it been an accident as well.

Keith's attention was once again drawn back to Koku, who was weaving a way through the crowds back to Keith's side. The younger man was flushed beneath his make-up, bright blue and teal eyes lined thickly in kohl that emphasized their color, reddened cheeks dusted with glitter shimmered in the lights above and for a second Keith thought of starlight and comet trails.

Koku reached for him at the same time he held his hand out, the younger taking it and gripping hard, grinning wildly in the night as Keith dragged him close and around the pillar, under the balcony of the mansion above them. Holding that immortal body close, feeling those hands rest on his hips and slip beneath his costume, tasting that mouth sweetened by wine and treats, Keith felt alive, washed in the golden light of the square and surrounded by Koku and Koku alone.

He felt Koku's wings engulf them in shadows, fingers rake and tangle in his hair to prevent him from escaping the kiss, and he melted into it, giving in because he knew he could never deny himself.

.

The walk home was a blur.

Ahead of them, Lily and Yuna had shed their heeled shoes and picked their way carefully down the sidewalks and cobblestoned alleyways. They parted with Boris, Mario, and Bran earlier; seeing their friends off before heading towards Keith's place. The small apartment had become a sanctuary for all of them, a place for their makeshift family to rest and eat, relax and play. It was a safe space and Keith had inadvertently created it with Koku at his side.

Couches are changed into makeshift beds, the girls are tucked in and Koku shoved Keith into their bedroom as Yuna pulls Lily into a goodnight kiss. Keith lets Koku remove his costume piece by piece, dropping everything on the floor as they make their way to the bathroom, there's so many kisses in between unbuttoning and zippers, ties and straps. Koku screws his face up when Keith stops him long enough to wipe the makeup from their faces with the cleansing wipes Lily had thrown at him that morning, and only scrunched his nose playfully when Keith leaned in and kissed his brow.

The shower was hot enough to steam the room and float out into the bedroom, but it was the comfort of close proximity they needed.

"Did you have fun?" Keith asks, toweling himself off after and wandering over to his clean laundry basket, where a mix of his clothes and Koku's had yet to be folded and put away. He pulled out shorts for himself, a shirt for Koku, and tossed it over to the younger man.

Koku caught it, pulling the overlarge tee over his head and smiling when he met Keith's gaze again, "I did. I'm glad we went."

Rather than get into bed, Keith pulled open the double doors leading to the small balcony outside his room, sitting on the edge of the carpet and lighting the lantern they kept there. Seeing Koku's face lit up by the warm little flame, Keith felt a similar warmth build in his ribcage, and he didn't hesitate to pull Koku against his chest to bury his face against his lover's neck.

"Good. I'm glad, too."


End file.
